Four.

My entire body was shaking. I had just witnessed fornication. I had just seen two people ... two unmarried people in the unholy act.

I had sinned. For seeing such sin with my eyes I had sinned.

I left my room, and made my way to the kitchen as quietly as I could. I needed water, I needed to drink water.

I opened the refrigerator finding it empty, and groaned realising that we just moved in today, and had nothing yet.

"Eva ?".

I froze. That was my mother.

My mother has the gift of seeing visions, and divinations. Could she be able to tell that I had seen such sin ?

"Eva what are you doing ?", She asked, "What are you looking for ?".

"Uhmmm ", I shut the refrigerator, and turned around to face her.

I swallowed as she stared at me obviously waiting for an answer.

"Eva what's wrong ?", She asked, retying the ropes of her long nightrobe so it was tighter around her waist.

"W...w...wat ...water", I stammered and mentally face palmed.

Why did I just stammer ?

Concern etched across her features. "Are you okay Eva ?".

I nodded, "Uh huh".

"Are you sure ?".

I nodded again.

She didn't look convinced, but she let it slide. "There's water in mine and your father's room. By the door, just be quiet so you don't wake him. He's really tired".

I nodded, and gave a forced smile that was too wide to be sincere.

"Thank you Mother".

She nodded. Her eyes staring through my soul as I made my way to the stairs and to their room.

My parents had dimmed their lights, and the entire room already smelt like my father's cologne. I breathed it in, as I quietly entered the room. There was no sight of water close to the door, so I quietly looked around the room being very careful not to make any sound that could wake my father up.

I sighted the pack of twelve plastic bottled water close to the wardrobe area, and walked over to it. Getting on my knees, I pulled one bottle out.

I was getting up when I caught sight of my father's bible on the bedside table close to his side of the bed.

I made my way to it, and stared at the leather cover. My father's bible. He had used it for years, I've never seen him with any other bible. He always preached with, prayed with it, and had it with him wherever he went.

I ran a finger down it's thick old leather cover. I needed this bible right now to cleanse myself of my sin. My own bible wouldn't do.

I carefully and as quietly as I could, I took it in my hands grunting softly at the unexpected weight.

I heard the door open.

"Eva", my mom called.

I turned around to face her, she was already heading my way.

"Haven't you taken the water ?", she asked, noticably keeping her voice low.

"I ... I uhm ...".

She folded her arms, pushing her bust higher on her chest.

"What are you doing with your father's bible Eva ?".

"I ... I ... I want ... to uhm ...", I pointed at the table like an idiot, still stammering.

She frowned, and moved closer to me placing the back of her right hand on my forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay Eva ?". Her hand moved to the side of my neck. "Are you sick ?".

She almost pulled my eyes out when she started checking my eyes.

"Ị na-arịa ọrịa ? Ị nwere ịba? ( Are you sick, Do you have malaria ?)", She asked in our native tongue.

I nodded, slapping myself mentally to get a grip.

"No, I'm fine. I just want to pray", I told her.

Her eyes went to the Bible in my hands, " What about yours ?", She asked peering into my eyes with her beautiful light brown eyes which I was lucky enough to inherit from her.

"I want to use father's bible. I just ...", I moved the heavy bible in my hand, "I just feel like using his ".

She exhaled, and pursed her lips.

"Okay then. Please be careful with it okay ?".

I nodded, and smiled.

My mom was amazing sometimes. When she wasn't tied down to the church, and so occupied she forgot I existed, she actual became the mother I've always wanted and I loved that side of her.

"Okay then Good night. Try to get some rest there's a lot to be done tomorrow okay ".

I nodded again, "Goodnight".

I walked away, and out of the room shutting the door as quietly as I had opened it.

***

His lights were out. I didn't dare peep again, I had noticed when I went to cover up my window.

I was so thankful they were done, or did they cut their activity short because they realised someone was watching them ?

I got rid of the thought.

I opened my father's bible, and flipped the pages to the book of Joel. It was one of my favorite books in the Bible, and getting comfortable on my bed I tried to read it.

Key word; tried.

His eyes kept invading my thoughts, breaking my concentration and reminding me what I had seen earlier.

My cheeks heated in embarrassment.

Relocating was still good. This was just the first night. With that in mind, I focused on the word of the Lord after saying a little prayer that God gives me the ability to concentrate on his words.

As always, he did and I continued reading.

When I had read three chapters, I knelt beside my bed and clasped my hands together to say a prayer.

I shut my eyes, "Father Lord, I commit my eyes into your hands. I pray that they do not see such sin again throughout my stay in this country ...".

When I was done, I slept.

***

Yesterday was the worst day of my entire month.

My parents and I went to the church, met some of the pastors that would be under my father, and my parents for some reason forced me to stay -- not like I had anywhere else to be -- throughout the entire meeting with the pastors. Then we prayed for the church, for the house, for every member of the church, and for the entire commission.

I came back exhausted spiritually, and physically.

Today, my mother and I were going shopping. We had bought food items, and some stuff yesterday for the house after meeting the pastors. Curtains being the first thing I had written on my list.

Because of the many things we did yesterday, we didn't have the time or energy to buy clothes and restock on toiletries so that was the agenda for today.

My father had left immediately after our morning prayer, which was by five in the morning. He said he needed to meet more people in church. My mom was supposed to go with him, but because we really needed to buy stuff, she didn't.

I stared at myself in the mirror for the second time, and gave myself a thumbs up happy that the two giant pimples that had manifested themselves on my forehead was gone, although they had left behind two black spots. One problem at a time Eva.

I applied some Vaseline on my lips to moisturize them, and grabbed a hair tye that I used to put my natural hair up in a puff. Then I grabbed my favorite dress, and threw it on. It fell past my ankles, and I did a twirl of appreciation. I pulled out a pair of black flats to complete my look.

I didn't dress like girls my age. I didn't have crop tops, applied makeup or all that stuff. I only wore dresses and skirts, and they were either below my knees, or down to my ankles.

My mother always said the areas that were covered were reserved for the eyes of God and my future husband.

She said it was a sin to dress like a slut like most girls did. To be honest, I secretly admired the shorter cute gowns, and jeans I saw girls wear. Telling my mother that was suicide.

I didn't hate the clothes I wore, but I was average, and the clothes made me look so much shorter.

"Eva !". I heard my mother call from downstairs.

"Yes Mother", I answered.

I forced my feet into the black flats that were starting to become a little too tight to squeeze my feet into. I would definitely get new ones today.

"Eva !", My mother called again.

"On my way mother ", I shouted back.

I grabbed my bag, and made my way out of my room.

Making my way down the stair way, I frowned when I heard strange voices.

Did the pastors decide to come to our house ?

But none of the voices were my father's. Wasn't he supposed to be here as well if they were ?

I made my way into the living room, and all air was sucked out of my lungs.

In there sat my mom, a beautiful woman I didn't know, and a guy. His eyes were what gave him away. He was my neighbor, the same one I had seen ...

My cheeks heated, and my gaze went down.

***

Keith's POV

I had stuff I needed to do, but telling my mother that was as good as trying to fill a sieve with water ... pointless. She insisted we go say hi to our new neighbors yesterday, but they weren't around and today she literally pulled me by the ear to their doorstep.

Now, we were seated in the living room and the two women were talking about church, and all the stuff I didn't give a fuck about.

I tried so hard not to groan. This was hell on Earth if hell truly existed.

"My son is the lead guitarist in the church", My mom announced with pride like she didn't threaten to end my life if I didn't join the church band.

"Oh really", the other woman dragged, her thick Nigerian accent evident in her words.

I couldn't remember what she said her name was -- not like I was paying attention -- but she was apparently the wife of the new resident pastor and the deputy as well. She was gorgeous as hell, too bad she too was hooked by the church.

"He is so good at it", my mother boasted, and linked her arm with mine.

I shot the woman sitting across us one of the fake smiles I had perfected.

She smiled in return, and adressed my mother. "That's good. My daughter will be joining the choir, she has the most beautiful voice".

My mother's eyes shone with curiosity, and this time my eyes went so high they almost rolled into my skull.

This was torture.

"Oh ! that's really good. Where is she ?", My mother asked.

I noticed the woman's head scarf loosened a bit, and I caught a glimpse of her cornrows before she lifted her hands to redo it. When I tell you this woman was gorgeous ... Which made me wonder what her daughter looked like.

"She's upstairs getting ready", she answered, "Let me call her".

My mom nodded, "Okay".

"Eva !", She shouted.

"Yes Mom", a feminine voice answered.

Her voice was soft, not pitchy like most of the girls I had known and there was this coolness about it, this innocence. I was now genuinely curious to know what she looked like.

"She'll be down in a minute", her mother told us.

The two women continued talking about church, and my eyes remained fixed on the stairway waiting for this Eva to come down.

"What's keeping her ?", The woman mumbled then proceeded to call again. "Eva !".

"On my way mother !", the girl shouted back.

I started hearing footsteps as my mom and the woman continued talking. And then she came down.

Her pretty oval face held confusion as it turned from her mother to mine, then it landed on me and her eyes widened a bit before she blushed, and ripped her eyes away.

*Flashback

"Blood of Jesus Christ !", Someone screamed. It was a feminine voice.

"W... What was that baby ?", Tracy moaned, and I swear by everything I actually believed in. If I wasn't already inside her, I would have thrown her out of my window. That was how annoying her voice was.

My eyes went to the window that was way too close to mine. It had bothered me when we first moved in, and I had pestered my father a million times on why the church built houses this close to each other. It didn't make sense.

But when year after year passed, and no family occupied the house, I just forgot about it.

My parents had told me recently that the new resident pastor of the church and his family were moving into the house soon.

I squinted my eyes, to see whoever was watching us but saw nothing. The room was way too dark.

I rolled my eyes, and continued fucking the girl I wanted out of earth.

If they wanted to watch, they could.

*Flashback ends.

The first genuine smile since this visit set on my lips. She was the only child, her mother would've prayed my soul out of my body at the doorstep if she was the one that had seen me, and no other woman stayed with them.

Which made her the person who had been watching us.

My smile grew.